Improvement in digitoriums



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

MYER MARKS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO YILLIAM A. FOND, OF NEV YORK CITY.

IMPROVEMENT IN DIGITORIUMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,791, dated August S, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MYER MARKS, of London, in England, have invented a new and Improved Digitorium; and I do hereby declare that the i'ollowing is a t'ull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of my improved digitorium. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are perspective views of the same, showing the several modes of training the iingers.

Similar letters ofreference indicate correspon din parts.

rlhis invention has for its object to produce an instrument whereby the fingers and wrists ot' persons learning to play the piano-forte or organ can be trained, and the muscles used in playing strengthened. My invention consists in improving digitoriuni s, as hereinafter fully described and subsequently pointed out in the claim.

A in the drawing represents the box or case of my improved digitorium. B, O, D, E, and F are five keys, pivoted within the box, and arranged alongside of each other like piano-keys. Each key is held up by a spring, a, of greater or lesser strength, so as be more or less dit'licult to depress. The person practicing on the keys will train the fingers to the gentle touch required on actual instruments. G is a slide, t-ted into a groove in the under side of the case A, so that it can be drawn in or out at will, and supports, at its front end, in front of the keys, awrist-support, H,which is applied by a screw, I), to be vertically adjustable. The wrist can thus be sustained at suitable height and suitable distance from the keys. To the sides of the case A are aiiixed plates l I, with their corners so rounded that the thumbs and foreiingers can be spread thereon, as in Fig. 4, one plate, I, being for the right, the other for the left hand. To the back of the case A is ali'- fixed another plate, J, wedgeshaped, so as to serve for spreading two adjoining fingers, as indicated in Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The series oi' pivoted and spring-keys arranged within box A, the wrist-support Gr H, the rounded forelinger-plates l I, and the intern'iediate ringerplate J, when all are constructed and combined in one digitorium, as and for the purpose specilied.

The above spccication ot' my invention signed by me this 15th day of April, 1871.

Wvitnesses: MYER MARKS.

T. B. Mosman, ALEX. F. Renners. 

